SERVING OTHERS IN NEED, WITH HONOR, WITH THEIR LIVES: UNMET NEEDS

Once flood waters descend, debris, bad memories and bills remain. Of those, it is debatable which can be disposed of quickest. However, while the flood is a historical recollection for many in the region, some continue to struggle to regain their footing following the devastation. A group exists now that continues in the effort of helping these people, filling in the gaps that remain after federal and state disaster offices closed their shops. We commend the work of this group.

The Cape Girardeau Regional Unmet Needs Committee can't accurately be described as a unique entity. Such groups sprang up in Florida following the destruction of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and the local Community Caring Council provides a model for this endeavor. However, what this committee does, as the name implies, is fill needs that persist for flood victims yet fall outside the purview of previously established (and expired) assistance efforts.

The group brings together representatives from a variety of service agencies to determine what assistance might be available for individuals or families struggling to recover after any disaster. Though formed in the aftermath of the flood, the committee plans to continue its work into the future. Like the Caring Council, the Unmet Needs Committee gathers periodically to consider individual cases from the Missouri Bootheel and Alexander and Pulaski counties in Illinois. From these meetings, the committee puts together the needs of the applicants with the available resources of the agencies. In most cases of disaster assistance, distribution bogs down not in the volume of aid available but in its access; in other words, disaster victims are not innately learned on where to turn for help. This committee meets them halfway.

The magnitude of last year's flooding and the scope of the damaged lives it left behind demanded federal assistance be forthcoming. It bears noting that many of the resources available through the Unmet Needs Committee come from private entities, and the time given to the enterprise is volunteered. This is another instance, one of many in this community, where people reach out to help their fellow citizens. Such an organization is welcome, and we applaud the work done by this group.